Scientists say they have developed food capsules which work as a virtual
gastric bypass, 'tricking' the body into thinking it is full could combat
obesity crisis, experts say

Food capsules which “trick” the body into thinking it is full could help combat Britain’s obesity crisis, new research suggests.

Previous studies have found a key difference between lean and obese people is the overweight ignore signals from the small intestine that tell the brain the body is full.

Scientists in London have found the lower intestine could be targeted by special food supplements which trick the digestive system into behaving as though a person has had a gastric bypass.

They hope the new treatment - in the form of a capsule – could be used instead of expensive weight-loss operations, to reduce spiralling levels of obesity and type two diabetes in Britain.

The research, carried out by Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, found that supplements which stimulated an area of the lower bowel convinced the body that enough food had been eaten.

The findings, published in GUT, the international journal of gastroenterology and hepatology, show that supplements could have the same effect as weight loss surgery - without the complications and costs.

Scientists behind the breakthrough said they are hopeful the capsules could be widely available on the NHS within five years.

Charities said the “leading edge science” could have a major impact on rates of obesity in Britain, with one in four people now obese.

On Friday NHS rationing bodies proposed lowering the threshold for weightloss surgery, so that anyone with a Body Mass Index of 30 – the threshold between overweight and obese – could be considered for the surgery if they have been diagnosed with diabetes in the last decade.

The proposals – which mean almost one million more people would qualify to be considered for the procedures – provoked an immediate backlash, and calls for the NHS to help prevent obesity, rather than fund thousands more operations at £5,000 each.

Last night experts said last night that finding new ways to tackle spiraling obesity rates in Britain was crucial.

Prof Ashley Blackshaw, Professor of Enteric Neuroscience, who led the team, said: "At the moment, obese patients undergo gastric bypass surgery where they are essentially re-plumbed.

"Undigested food bypasses the small intestine and is shunted straight to the lower bowel where it causes the release of hormones which suppress the appetite and help with the release of insulin.

"That makes the patient feel full and stops even the hungriest individual from eating.

"We believe it's possible to trick the digestive system into behaving as if a bypass has taken place.

"This can be done by administering specific food supplements which release strong stimuli in the same area of the lower bowel.

"It's a bit like sending a special food parcel straight to the body's emergency exit, and when it gets there, all the alarms go off."

It is suggested that the gut could be targeted with a capsule containing naturally occurring food supplements.

The supplements would target the lower bowel and would intervene with the pathway of fatty acid, amino acid and protein towards the lower bowel.

Prof Blackshaw said: “It’s a totally novel idea, and we’re very excited at the results so far. We are hopeful that the treatment will be widely available in NHS hospitals in the next five years.”

Deborah Gilbert, Chief Executive of Bowel & Cancer Research, which funded the research, said: "This is leading edge science. Not only could Professor Blackshaw's work have a major impact on the growing problem of obesity and Type II diabetes, but with the link with weight and bowel cancer clearly established, it could have even wider implications."

There has been a marked increase in obesity in the UK. In 1993, 15 per cent of the population were obese. In 2011, this rose to 25 per cent.

Weight-loss surgery has increased 30-fold in the last decade. More than 8,000 operations take place annually on the NHS, and many more through private clinics.